Birnie Bouzle

Scottish Song By James Hogg

Birnie Bouzle is a Scottish poem/song written by James Hogg c.1810 and sung to the tune The Braes O' Tullymet.

The name Birnie Bouzle is possibly derived from birnie 'land covered with birns, i.e. scorched stems of heather' and bouzy 'covered with bushes'.

James Hogg (1770-1835) was a Scottish poet, novelist and essayist who wrote in both Scots and English. As a young man he worked as a shepherd and farmhand, and was largely self-educated through reading. He was a friend of many of the great writers of his day, including Sir Walter Scott, of whom he later wrote an unauthorized biography.

He became widely known as the "Ettrick Shepherd", a nickname under which some of his works were published.

In Aberdeen, there is a series of streets called Birnie Bouzle, which presumably have been built over the original house.